Everything Matters! (I get it)

Finally, I finished the book! This definitely not being one of my favorites; I found it to be slow reading with a predictable plot and downright depressing. The mood is set early on and you just know already by page 4 about choices and consequences likely being grave and realize this is not going to have a happy plot. A little hope in all the tragedies would’ve been nice. Also, the switching of characters narrating to the story was a bit confusing and only complicated the nature of what the book was all about. I did like the true love between Junior and Amy and his love for his family. I get it everything does matter but I believe the author could’ve easily proved that point in a less doom and gloom way to be more appealing to the reader. I will admit it was a bit amusing to reminisce back to the 80’s and will give the author literature merit of including historical events and creating vivid characters; none of which had led a content life. Yes, it’s important to realize reality and not sugar coat life but even the reviews on the back didn’t lend way to happy moments in the book. Despair and doom everywhere and even when given a chance to go back in time, no really happy endings there as well; to the extreme on trying to create a realistic world. While “Going Bovine” gets voted best book for most profanity, this book will win the prize to be a censor’s worst nightmare. After reading chapter 12 in the Donelson’s and Nielson’s textbook, it led me to conclude that this book entails basically every challenge for a banned book all in this one novel. His characters’ words and actions would not only discriminate against women, African Americans, gays, and the mentally challenged but in many other ways as well. It’s as if “God is Dead” wasn’t controversial enough so he wrote this book. I understand the First Amendment with people’s right to read and be exposed to controversial thoughts and language but this book is on overload. I am not saying to ban it but I would not recommend it; especially for one’s reading pleasure. Doom and gloom on my summer with characters who you think their lives couldn’t get worse, is not my favorite genre to bask myself in to read.